Auditors criticise Lottery projects

A RESTORED castle in North Wales and a regenerated Welsh estate designed by John Nash are among the projects that have been criticised in a report into Lottery funding published by the parliamentary spending watchdog yesterday.

A RESTORED castle in North Wales and a regenerated Welsh estate designed by John Nash are among the projects that have been criticised in a report into Lottery funding published by the parliamentary spending watchdog yesterday.

The report into the Heritage Lottery Fund by the National Audit Office found a quarter of the 24,000 projects funded with £3.8bn of Lottery money over the past 12 years were completed late. And one in six ran over budget by an average of £293,000.

A project to convert Castell Deudraeth, Portmeirion, a grade II listed Victorian castellated mansion, into a hotel, which received a £1.6m grant, opened two years late.

The Llanerchaeron estate, in West Wales, which includes a villa designed by John Nash and a lake, was given £2m for conservation and regeneration. Its opening was delayed for a year because of foot-and-mouth outbreak.

Sir John Bourn, head of the NAO, said delays were down to poor planning and bad management by applicants.

He said improvements could be made by cutting red tape and improving the management skills of those who apply for funding.

Sir John said, "The HLF has done valuable work in preserving the UK's heritage and promoting access to it.

"However, it needs to do more to simplify its procedures, to provide better support to applicants and grant recipients and to reduce time and cost overruns."